Cauldron of Souls

Artifact

: Choose any number of target creatures. Each of those creatures gains persist until end of turn. (When is put into the graveyard from the battlefield, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

Discussion (49)

ConnorMo on Hamza +1/+1 wide n tall

1 week ago

I did some searching on colourless cards that might be a good fit because I thought it was fun that they could be cast for cheap/free and also acts as pseudo-rap.

Some cards that might be worth a try:

• Triskelion and friend Monoskelion
• Decimator of Provinces
• Crystalline Crawler
• Oblivion Sower
• Steel Dromedary
• Pentavus
• Endless One
• Ugin's Conjurant
• Hangarback Walker

Also this combos w Triskellion: Cauldron of Souls

One thing I noticed in this deck was that non-creatures spells feel really expensive because they don't get the discount. So if you are looking for cards to cut you could start there.

Pheardemons on Kumena, Just Tap It In

2 weeks ago

First and foremost. That joke about "tooting my Horn " was pure gold. Don't ever change.

I get the synergy with stuff like Maskwood Nexus so I'll look into it for my version as well. My deck is based around getting the draw engine as fast as possible so I took out pieces like this. I guess they are worth looking back into.

I'm liking Cauldron of Souls the more I think about it. Kumena can negate the -1/-1 counters using his own ability to give +1/+1 counters so that's pretty sweet. Also, it is okay if Cauldron of Souls eats up removal because that'll save your other more important enchantments and artifacts. Potentially anyways.

When I went with the Isochron Scepter and Dramatic Reversal combo I took out Intruder Alarm but I did really like it in the previous build. Darting Merfolk definitely makes sense with that kind of combo.

Speaking of Intruder Alarm there is an infinite combo that you can use to draw out your deck, or just draw into something you need. Forbidden Orchard , Intruder Alarm and Kiora's Follower give infinite untaps, three other merfolk is infinite draw, and mana rocks and/or dorks ( Earthcraft / Cryptolith Rite ) is infinite mana as well. This can allow you to win with Thassa's Oracle or Laboratory Maniac . Lastly, Grimoire Thief can also allow you to exile each opponents' library. Food for thought if you want to go that route.

I see you are running Counterspell and Pact of Negation . Personally, I wouldn't run counterspells unless it is a bigger package. It is unlikely that you'll have them when you need them with only running two. I'd recommend taking them out to add more utility and value. Unless you feel like you need more counterspells in which you can add more. It is one of those types of cards (for me) that you are either running a lot or none.

I was asking about the lands because in my build the couple of colorless lands I have can sometimes be a hinderance since merfolk are so blue heavy. I originally ran Back to Basics but have since taken it out since my playgroup just played around it. I've been wanting to add it back in but that is why I still have so many basics in the deck. I never really went back and changed the lands. Thanks for the thought on some utility lands.

blueiris on Kumena, Just Tap It In

2 weeks ago

Hello, Pheardemons!

Thanks for the comments and feedback. As you can see, I've used a few elements that were inspired from your build, such as the wizards Ertai, Wizard Adept , Venser, Shaper Savant , and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir . I also like the options that the transmute cards bring to maximize potential playability, so great additions with Drift of Phantasms , and the others.

I feel Defense of the Heart can be a really good pace keeper. I find it especially useful combined with Tishana, Voice of Thunder & Jungleborn Pioneer to generate three bodies and draw a minimum of three cards. But, yes, this is also great opportunity to seek out situation based creatures!

Cauldron of Souls is a new addition, so I'll have to follow up. I saw it in another list and liked the idea of preventing a board wipe simply by having a lord in play, but it may end up being too niche for 5 mana and the necessary setup. Also, artifact removal can make quick work of the cauldron , so is it just a sitting target until its potentially used? I'm talking myself out of this one it seems.

I really just want Herald's Horn to work, so it stayed in the list despite any reservations. Is it ramp, is it tribal, is it card draw? I think the sum of all it's parts fit in the list, and only at a cost of . It certainly plays well with Arcane Adaptation & Maskwood Nexus . Sylvan Library also has some synergy to fix the top card with its scry ability, so I guess I'm tooting my horn .

My intentions with Realmwalker are similar to Herald's Horn by allowing top card play/view. Plus, when combined with any of the flash options in the deck it can make things exciting. I think Realmwalker has performed well for me and it's here to stay. Also, an added benefit is that neither card require that you reveal reveal anything to your opponent when peeking.

For removal, I've used Curse of the Swine over the years for flare, but it's ultimately become a staple for me. Sometimes there's only a couple intrusive baddies to remove, and this makes quick work of them. I'll definitely take your advice and use Reality Shift over the non-exile removal, so thanks for pointing that out.

Darting Merfolk pairs with Intruder Alarm to be quite abusive when you have Kumena and a few fish to play with. Tap three fish (even including Darting Merfolk ) to draw a card, pay to return Darting Merfolk to your hand, then recast to untap all fish. Rinse, repeat. I'm not sure there's too much more, but with the appropriate resources it can be pretty powerful.

I've done okay with the colorless lands so far, but it's definitely something I'll need to watch closely. I just added Yavimaya Hollow , so maybe it's a good idea to remove something else colorless in exchange.

I agree with you about Genesis Wave . Honestly, I only avoided the card so I didn't completely plagiarize your deck ;) I'll take your recommendation and add it now! Overall I felt like I could run fewer counter spells and more removal in this package, so this is an excellent inclusion.

Regarding the one drops, I've rethought that comment after your response and it makes sense to stay focused on the combo aspect of this build. Solid advice.

Thanks again, and I appreciate the insight!

Pheardemons on Kumena, Just Tap It In

2 weeks ago

I like your build man. I definitely have some questions for a couple cards I did not consider for mine.

How has Defense of the Heart played? Does it get to go off often enough? Do you have specific creatures you get every time or is it more situation based?

Do you feel like Cauldron of Souls and Herald's Horn have earned their place? Are they things your usually happy to see?

Realmwalker is one that I keep trying to add in but keep "not finding" a slot for it. How has it worked for you?

Do you feel like you need the removal in Pongify , Rapid Hybridization , and Curse of the Swine ? I always felt like I wanted to try them but never wanted to take out counterspells or anything for them. Also, I suggest to take out either Pongify or Rapid Hybridization for Reality Shift since it exiles instead of destroys. Personal preference.

Why are you playing Darting Merfolk ? It seems...weird to me. I believe there are plenty of other two drop merfolk that might have more efficient abilities if you're looking for more than a body. Is there something I'm missing with him?

Are the colorless lands ( Winding Canyons , Yavimaya Hollow , and Alchemist's Refuge ) worthwhile because of their utility? Have you run into any color problems because of them?

One card I STRONGLY recommend is Genesis Wave . You don't play as many counterspells and other non-permanents so this card would benefit you in a powerful way. Getting this where X is 10+ (especially at instant speed) can drastically change the game.

You asked me about a lot of the one drop merfolk that turns lands into islands. I don't run them because I am going combo instead of aggro. Aggressive merfolk decks that play all of the lords and want to keep swinging in unhindered will definitely love those merfolk. My build kept one Lord of Atlantis as a backup, but it is rare that I'm swinging in when I finally get three Merfolk because I want to draw as much as possible. In saying that, playing them to increase the chance of three merfolk on turn three when you cast Kumena is something noteworthy.

Lastly, the biggest advice I can give (since you're looking to change yours) is just to playtest. No matter how much you may like a card or want a card, just playtest to see if it does what you want/need it to do. I can't tell you how many times I tried a card just to see what it did and it became an all-star. While others I "knew" it was a necessity of the deck to have it be subpar and I've switched it out for other things. For my Kumena deck it was Surgespanner . I thought it was too expensive for what I wanted but I needed more removal so I told myself "eh, let's try it." It has became one of the most powerful cards in the deck that my friends know to kill immediately or I've probably won. Your list looks solid so at this point it seems to be more about tuning than revamping.

Let me know if you have any more questions or anything. I'm always happy to help.

DevoMelvminster on Yawgmoth, the Mono Black King (Competitive)

3 weeks ago

Ahhh, that makes sense. Well, I don’t THINK Blight Mound or Nest of Scarabs goes infinite without undying creatures, so those may still be good options.

Cauldron of Souls is also a lot of fun, and avoids the clause going infinite since it’s persist, instead of undying. Even with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed it only guarantees some extra returns, rather than infinite returns.

lessidor on elves of the shadows

4 weeks ago

king-saproling my mistake, Cauldron of Souls DO sinergize well with Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel and Metallic Mimic ...just realize :')

lessidor on elves of the shadows

4 weeks ago

king-saproling thanks for the comment! i didnt see that Metallic Mimic sinergized well with Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel so it's indeed a nice add! On the same idea, i dont think that the persist of Cauldron of Souls would work well with either Metallic Mimic nor Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel .I'm considering all the cards you cite but i still have too much cards to cut, any outside point of view on which cards seem not worth the cut?

king-saproling on elves of the shadows

4 weeks ago

Thoughts on these? Metallic Mimic , Cauldron of Souls , Species Specialist , The Ozolith , Black Market , Crippling Fear , Pact of the Serpent , Patriarch's Bidding